tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Dec 10 20:19:44 1996

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RE: KLBC: serving a ship

December 10, 1996 4:18 PM, jatlh Andrew 'Ska' Netherton:

> 	I am trying to describe past actions that I have undertaken, but
> I'm  failing to right now.  I'm trying (ultimately) to say;
> 
> 	"I was the engineer on the ship <QeHjo'>."
> 
> So far, I can get this far:
> 
> 	Duj QeHjo' vItoy'ta' jIH
> 	"I accomplished serving the vessel <QeHjo'>."

maj.

> But then to include the fact that I *was* an engineer, I can't find a way
> to say "I was the engineer", let alone "I was the engineer on the vessel
> <QeHjo'>."  It seems that I get stuck in the ugly corner of not having "to
> be" available to me, and I wonder if I could get away with (sheild your
> eyes, grammarians):
> 
> 	SuvwI' jIHta'
> 	I was an engineer.

I'll shield my eyes, because {SuvwI'} is not the word for "engineer"!  Putting 
{-ta'} on {jIH} is not necessarily a bad thing, although I don't think you 
need it in this case.

jonwI' jIH.
I was the engineer.

Remember, Klingon does not use tense!

Duj <QeHjo'> vItoy'pu'.  jonwI' jIH.
I have served the vessel {QeHjo'}.  I was the engineer.

I used {-pu'} instead of {-ta'}, because {-ta'} would imply that there was an 
intention involved when that tour of duty was over.  If you're talking about 
something which specifically states that you had a purpose in serving aboard 
that ship, and that service is completed, then feel free to use {-ta'}.

Note that you could also have used

Duj <QeHjo'> vItoy'.  jonwI' jIH.

if the time context were clear.

> 	On a related topic, how would you go about using the name of a
> ship in a sentance?  In the about example, should it be <Duj QeHjo'>, or
> <QeHjo' Duj>?  I'm half tempted to say the latter, as it's (only sort of)
> like using one's name an then title; name (of the ship), title (vessel).

In Star Trek V, Vixis says

{nImbuS wejDaq 'ejDo' 'entepray' [nuqlu'pu']}.  That last word sounds like the 
actress is screwing up her line badly (it's slurred or mashed together).  (I 
feel sure the word was supposed to be {ngeHlu'pu'}, but that's another topic.)

This shows that "Starship Enterprise" gets translated {'ejDo' 'entepray'}.  
I'm sure you could do the same thing with "vessel {QeHjo'}."

> Obviously, I'm in a bind with this <taHqeq> of a sentence.  (BTW, are
> there translations of these epithets?)

Not really.  {taHqeq} is an epithet which is "a classic insult."  (CK)  If 
you're into Star Trek usage, I got this from someone's web page on insults 
(which one of you is it?):

TNG:Mind's Eye; "tah-keck" 

Vagh, a Klingon governor, whom Picard failed to convince that Federation isn't 
supplying weapons to the rebels, loses his temper and shouts "You speak the 
lies of a taHqeq!". Picard responses by shouting all the Klingon swear-words 
he knows, {Qu'vatlh ghuy'cha' baQa'} (his pronunciation is Bad.) Guess what: 
Vagh is impressed. "You swear well, Picard. You must have Klingon blood in 
your veins." 

-- 
SuStel
Beginners' Grammarian
Stardate 96944.8

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